By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS (Reuters) -Twice runner-up Casper Ruud started his latest bid to reach another French Open final with a crushing 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory over seasoned Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round on Monday.
Ruud warmed up for Roland Garros by becoming the first Norwegian winner of a Masters 1000 title at this month’s Madrid Open before the 26-year-old’s momentum ground to a halt after a 6-0 6-1 hammering by Jannik Sinner in the Rome quarter-finals.
The 2022 and 2023 Paris finalist showed why red clay remains his natural habitat despite that harsh reality check as he eased through the first set on Court Simonne Mathieu with a solitary break in the fourth game.
Ramos Vinolas came into his eighth clash with Ruud eager to avoid a fifth straight defeat and the 37-year-old recovered a loss of serve early in the second set to give himself a fighting chance for a comeback, only to fade away quickly.
A crosscourt backhand winner gave last year’s semi-finalist Ruud another break at 3-2 and the seventh seed used the platform to double his lead before comfortably closing out the victory with another solid display in the third set.
Up next for Ruud is Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris, editing by Ed Osmond)
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